Duplicate-whist tray.



No. 705,469.' Patented July 22,- |902. n. a. sTARKwEATHER.

DUPLICATE WHIST TRAY.

v(Applicxamlziem led Jan. 2, 1902.)

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:UNITED: STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT STARKWEATHER, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

DU PLICATEWHIST' TRAY.

v* SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 705,469, dated'J'uly22, 1902. Application filed January 2, 19,02. ySerial No. 88,041. (Nomodel.)

T0 vaf/ZZ when?, t muy concern;v

Be it known-that I,ROBERT. B. STARK- WEATHER, a citizen of theUnitedStates, residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartford andStateof Connecticut, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements'in Duplicate- Whist Trays,of which the following is aspeci!A fication. c

My invention relates to duplicate-whist,

trays, and has for its object the provision of a simple and inexpensivedevice ofv this character. Y

A further object of the invention is the pro-v signed topres's upon andhold in position the hands of cards.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a duplicate-whisttray having the corners of its'base removed to permit the cards to bereadily grasped and removed. from the tray.

A further object of the invention is theprovision of a duplicate-Whisttray in which the blanks composing the framing thereof are stamped fromsheet material and areso constructed that when the parts are Aassembledthey will form in the center ofthe tray an ornamental surface, uponwhich may be stamped or otherwise placed any appropriatev design. Y

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan View of one form of myimproved duplicate-whist tray. Fig. 2fis a section upon line a a of Fig.1 looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 3 is a viewsimilar to Fig.1 of another form of` my improved'device. Fig. 4 is a section upon lineb b of Fig.V 3 looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 5 is aperspective view of a portion of one of the blanks shown in Figs. 1 and2. Fig. 6 is a plan View of a portion of one of the blanks shown inFigs. 3 and 4. Y

Like numerals designate similar parts throughout the several views.

Mounted'uponfa base5, which may be formed of any desired material, is aframe, (designated in a general way by the numeral 'each side-of theportion 9of the blank.

Y The blank 8 is formed in substantially the 'same'manner as the blank7, excepting that the arms, (designated by the numerals 13 and 14,) arebent upward at an angle to the flat or plane portion shown at 12in-Figs. 2 and 5 instead of downward, as in the blank 7.

Each ofthe arms 10, 11, 13, and 14 has a spring 15 projecting at anangle to the arm and extending over surfaces 16, 16', 162, and 163,respectively, partially inclosed by the arms'lO, 1l, 13, and 14, therebyforming compartmentswhich serve to hold the different hands or sets ofcards placed on the tray. The arms 10, 1l, 13, and 14A are also providedat their outer ends with lugs or projections 17 ,which are secured tothebase 5 and are bent at angles upon the under side of the base for thepurpose of attaching the frame firmly in position, the base 5 beingrecessed, as shownat 18in Figs. 2 and 4, for the reception ofthebent-over portion of the lugs 17,

plurality of stars, although any other insigniay may be used in theplace of the stars.

In assembling the parts of my whist-tray in the form shown in Figs. 1,2, and 5 the blank .thus avoiding projections of any kind upon IOO S isfirst placed in position upon the base 5, the lugs or projections 17 ofthe blank being passed through slots 5' in the base, as shown by dottedlines in Figs. 2 and 4, after which said lugs are bent at angles to itin the recesses 18, thereby securing the blank firmly in place with theflat portion 12 of said blank resting upon the surface of the base. Theblank 7 is then placed in position with its fiat portion 9 over saidblank 8, the side walls formed by the arms 10 and 11 being placed insuch position as to close the open ends l2' and 122, formed between theside walls 13 and 14 of the blank 8, said walls or arms 13 and 14closing in like manner the open ends formed between the walls or arms 10and 11 of the blank 7, the fiat or plane portion 9 of said blank beingformed so that it overlaps the walls or arms of the blank 8, therebyproviding a smooth and ornamental surface, upon which maybe stamped orotherwise formed any suitable design to indicate the position of theleader. This design in the present instance is shown as an arrow,although any other suitable character may be employed as a substitutetherefor.

The lugs or projections 17', carried by the arms 10 and 11, are passedthrough openings in the base and bent at right angles into the recesses18, formed upon the under side of said base in the same manner that theprojections 17, carried by the arms 13 and 14, are secured.

In the form of my invention shown in Figs. 3, 4, and G the framing 6' iscomposed of four blanks instead of two. A portion of one of these blanksis shown in Fig. 6, each of said blanks being composed of a dat or planepart 2O and a wall or arm 21, each of these arms 21 carrying aspring-arm 15', similar to the arms 15 in Figs. 1, 2, and 5, and lugs orprojections 172, similar to the projections 17 in said figures. The ilator plane portion of each of these blanks is triangular in form, the wallor arm 21 being bent upward therefrom, as indicated at 22, and the pointof the triangle being cut away at 24 for a purpose hereinafter stated.Carried by one side of the triangle is a dovetail lug 25, and formed inthe other side of said triangle is a dovetail recess 26.

In assembling the parts of my improved whist-tray in the form shown inFigs. 3, 4, and 6 the blanks comprising the frame thereof are placed inposition, with the lug 25 of each triangular projection dovetailed inthe corresponding recess 26 of the triangular projection next to theright thereof, and the lugs 172 are then secured to the under side ofthe base in the same way that the lugs 17 in Figs. 1, 2, and 5 aresecured. This will leave a cup-like recess formed by the four arms or.walls 21, the four triangular portions of the blanks forming the bottomof the cup. A block 27, composed of any suitable material, is thensecured in this recess by a fastening device, shown in the presentinstance as a rivet 28, passing through both the block and the base,said block and base being recessed at 29 and 29', respectively, toreceive the heads of the rivet. By recessing the triangular projections2O at 26 when the parts are dovetailed together an opening is formedthrough which the rivet 28 may pass,as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3.After the portions comprising the frame are thus secured in position aplate 30, which may be made of celluloid, metal,'or any other suitablematerial, is secured to the top of the block 27 in any desired manner,`such as by tacking or gluing, forming thereby an ornamental cap for thereception of a design similar to the arrow shown in Fig. 1. Compartmentssimilar to those shown at 16, 16', 162, and 16B in Fig. 1 are thusformed between the arms 21 of the blanks, which have the spring-arms 15'projecting therefrom.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that my construction inboth forms may be cheaply manufactured and will be efficient for thework it is designed to accomplish, as well as ornamental in appearance,thereby providing a duplicate-whist tray of light, durable, and strongconstruction, requiring but little room when packed for transportation.

Changes in the form, proportion, and minor details may be made, andblanks of other forms may be cut from sheet material with out departurefrom the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Pati ent, is-

1. A whist-tray comprising a base, and a frame secured to the base, andcomposed of plates, which, when assembled, form a central portion; armsprojecting from said central portion and dividing the base intocompartments; and card-clamping devices carried by said arms.

2. A whist-tray comprising a base, and a frame composed of interlockingsheet-metal sections, said frame having a central portion and armsdividing the base into compartments projecting from the central portion,and springs projecting from the arms, said springs serving to clamp thecards upon the base.

3. A whist-tray consisting of a base; a frame composed of sheet-metalplates, which, when assembled, constitute a central portion; armsprojecting from said central portion, and serving to divide the baseinto compartments; means for securing the arms to the base; and springsprojecting from the arms.

4. The combination, with a base, of a frame composed of interlockingsheet-metal sections; arms projecting from said sections,

each arm having a lug inserted in an open" ing of the base; and springsprojecting from the arms.

5. In a whist-tray, the combination, witha base, of a plate havingprojecting arms; a plate covering the first-named plate and also IOC IIO

7.- `In awhist-tray, the combination, with a base, of a plate havinglanged sides and open ends; arms projectingfrom the plate; springsprojecting from the arms; a cover-plate having flanges adapted toinclose the open ends of the other plate; arms projecting from thecover-plate; and springs carried by said arms.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature .in presence of two Witnesses.

ROBERT B. STARKWEATHER.

Witnesses:

WM. P. LARAWAY, FRANCES E. BLODGETT.

